Shakur Stevenson’s next fight is starting to look like a fight against himself. Seven months on from the biggest wins of his career, the two-weight champion still has nothing signed – and his latest stand-off with Devin Haney lays bare exactly why.
Stevenson has spent that time weighing up opponent after opponent without putting pen to paper. The sticking point with welterweight rival Devin Haney is the weight. Stevenson wants a 144-pound catchweight, a demand Bill Haney has rejected outright, insisting his son will not drop below the 147-pound welterweight limit. That leaves Stevenson three ways to go: take the fight at 147, chase a mandatory, or walk away and start the search all over again.
Boxing analyst Dan Ambrose, writing for Boxing News 24, argues the inactivity is quietly draining the best run of Stevenson’s career – and you can see where Devin Haney’s own plans stand in the same welterweight logjam.
The question now is how many months of his prime he’s willing to sacrifice by ruling out opponents and demanding terms that keep fights from getting made.
What’s next for Shakur Stevenson?
Until he softens on the catchweight or simply accepts the fight at 147, the most gifted technician in the division risks watching his prime tick away one rejected offer at a time. The talent has never been in doubt. The willingness to actually sign is another matter.
